The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) has made adjustments to the insurance amount for people accompanying mountaineering expeditions.

Life insurance for Sardar (leader), trail guide, and high-altitude porters has been increased from Rs 1 million to Rs 1.4 million, and medicine and health-care insurance has been increased from Rs 300,000 to Rs 400,000, MoTCA said in a statement on Friday.

However, the provision for liaison officers, base-camp workers and local workers remains unchanged.

The decision follows demand from various tourism related organizations and representatives of expedition workers and family to increase the insurance amount for liaison officers, porters, and base camp and local workers after an avalanche at Everest Base Camp 1 (5,900 metres) left a large number of casualties in April.

The ministry said a committee headed by the Tourism Industry Division Chief/Secretary had endorsed the demands. The committee consisted of representatives of Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, Himalayan Rescue Association and Nepal National Mountain Guides Association.

The ministry also made provisions for liaison officers, high altitude porters, base-camp workers and local helpers under the Tourism Act, 2035 (25) and Mountaineering Expedition Regulation, 2059 (19) (20) to be insured for healthcare, accident relief and emergency rescue.

The MoTCA in the statement has said that the revised insurance amount will come into effect from 1 September 2014.